Beyond The Veil
by serenarian1
Summary: Entry for the 'Bridges Dramione Writers Challenge' by Jazzy1. Draco undertakes a pilgrimage to a place that claws at his heart, but still he feels the call. Oneshot.


**A/N: This is an entry for Jazzy1's 'Bridges Dramione Writers Challenge'. If you haven't read that story I highly recommend it - it is wonderfully written and has just been completed! Well worth a read! **

**For the challenge writers were instructed to choose a song featured in one of the chapters of 'Bridges' and write a oneshot based on that song. The song I chose was 'O Death' by Jen Titus. I hope you like this little oneshot - feedback is welcomed and encouraged. Thank you! **

**serenarian1 x **

**Beyond The Veil**

The chill of the air pierced his lungs as he slowly approached the familiar gates; his head braced against the fierce, icy breeze. He hated this walk despite doing it each year. He knew he would probably retrace these steps for the rest of his life.

Reaching out a pale hand, he pushed the cold metal and watched it swing open. The screech of the rusted hinges made him wince in discomfort. The snow was still tumbling clumsily down through the air as his steps left imprints of his sodden boots in the white-dusted grass. The lump in his throat grew thicker as he approached his destination. It never got any easier, but still he felt called to repeat this action obsessively every year. The war had left deep penetrating scars in the souls of all who had lived through the bloodshed; Draco was most definitely not an exception to this rule. On the face of things he had come out of the battle relatively cleanly – the Malfoys had escaped Azkaban due to their refusal to stand with Voldemort at the final standoff. Aside from his aunt Bellatrix, Sirius and his Aunt Nymphadora there had been few casualties in the Black/Malfoy line. Of course, Snape had a special mention being his godfather, but even then Draco supposed he had come off lightly. Some of his schoolmates had lost everyone they loved.

The air seemed to hug him in a freezing embrace as he stopped in front of the dark marble headstone. Familiar tears pricked at his eyes as he dropped to his knees and brushed his gloved hands across the inscription, clearing the blown snowflakes away. He laid a single red rose on top of the headstone, bowing his head in supplication. "_I'm here again,_" he whispered, his voice gruff with sorrow. "_I'll come every year, on this day – just to let you know that I'm still thinking of you. That you didn't die in vain._"

His silver eyes glowed with unshed teardrops as he lowered his head again. Memories filled his consciousness as he remembered all the times they had spent together and the way they had become friends.

_**Flashback **_

"_Draco Malfoy, don't you dare!" she screeched at him, raising her wand in the air as he doubled over laughing. He had stolen her Gryffindor scarf and was hovering on his broom above her, threatening to wrap it around the highest Quidditch post_.

_He winked at her playfully. "Come on Granger, it's the only time anything Gryffindor will get near these goalposts," he teased. _

_She folded her arms, trying to look stern. "Draco..." she pouted, trying and failing to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. _

_He threw his hands up in the air and brought his broom down to ground level, tossing her the scarf. She caught it neatly and chuckled. He jumped off his broom and approached her until they were standing nearly toe to toe. "You make me laugh, Granger," he said affectionately. "Can you believe it's me saying this?" _

_She shook her head, her warm brown eyes twinkling as she regarded him. "Oh I don't know, Draco – you apparently can be quite charming, and rumour has it that you also – shock horror! – have a sense of humour," she teased. _

_He lifted his chin in the air. "Well yes of course – but that only goes to people who have shown themselves worthy of my respect. People like Pugsy Parkinson don't get to see this side of me."_

_She grinned at him. "Well, I suppose I should be honoured that I'm evidently worthy of your respect then shouldn't I?" _

_He leaned close; the distinctive scent of her filling his nostrils. She smelled wonderful – like peaches, cream and kiwi fruit. "Of course you are – you're my secret friend," he intoned with a smile. Her eyes widened as he leaned still closer. "Granger – may I kiss you?" he whispered, barely waiting for a reply before closing the distance and claiming her lips with his. _

_He felt her tremble at his touch and pulled her closer; wrapping his arms around her and marvelling at how well they fit together as he finally made his secret wish a reality. _

_**End of flashback **_

Draco dropped his face into his hands and finally let the tears fall, burning a trail down his numb face. He missed her so damn much. Nobody had known of their secret relationship and he had sworn to keep it that way until she accidentally blurted it out in front of Ron and Harry one evening at Hogwarts during dinner. They had instantly started giving her the cold shoulder and she had never quite recovered from the loss of her two best friends. To add insult to injury, she had met her death during the Battle for Hogwarts when she had rushed to assist them and they had frozen her out. An opportunistic Death Eater had seen her standing alone and caught her unawares with a Killing Curse.

"_I won't let them forget how they treated you, Hermione,_" he declared. "_I love you so much – I miss you every day. I can't believe they've never been here to see you or to put flowers on your grave. I hate them for that._"

He fell to his knees in the snow and the mud, the tears flowing freely now as he laid his forehead on the top of her headstone and sobbed bitterly. She wouldn't even have had a grave marker if it weren't for him – after her funeral they had wanted to bury her with just a simple wooden cross to mark her final resting place. He had immediately raided his Gringotts account and paid for a beautiful marble headstone for her - anonymously of course. He had made it his mission to return each year on the anniversary of her death and several times in between; sometimes laying her favourite flowers on her grave and sometimes he came just to talk to her. It was the only way he knew to ease the pain of her loss.

After a while his tears subsided and he wiped them away anxiously with the back of his hand. "_I'm sorry, Hermione,_" he whispered. "_I should have helped you fix it with them. I sometimes even wish that I'd intervened for you and made them forgive you… you didn't deserve that and you certainly didn't deserve to die just because you loved someone they didn't approve of._"

He sat there for a while, just telling her about how his company was finally getting a foothold in the world marketplace and that Malfoy Marketing Inc. was employing muggles for the first time. He knew she would be proud of him for that. He explained that his father was trying to atone for his former sins and had been attending a rehabilitation programme for former Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic. He laughed as he recounted his own experiences with the very same programme. He filled her in on how his mother had given all the house elves at Malfoy Manor clothes and they were now being paid for their services. He chuckled to himself as he remembered her trying to sign him up for S.P.E.W and how he had affectionately teased her about it in response.

His expression changed and became serious again as he lowered his voice. "_Hermione – I regret the years I wasted being your enemy and not getting to know you properly. I wish I had made friends with you that first day on the Hogwarts Express – I wish I had never judged you based on the beliefs I was raised with._" He took a hitched breath as he fought to keep his composure. "_Just – just know that if things had been different and we had been given more time together – I would have been absolutely honoured to be with you, Granger. I would have been proud to have you on my arm and call you mine._"

He got to his feet slowly and kissed his fingers, pressing them to the ice-tinged curve of her headstone. "_Goodbye, my love. I love you, always and forever,_" he whispered gently before turning and walking away as briskly as he could manage in the slippery grass.

Had he turned around; he would have seen a shimmering spectre floating nearby, watching him leave. The ghost watched him go, a wistful look on her incorporeal features as she raised a hand as if to call him back from beyond the veil.

"_Goodbye, Draco… I love you too," _she whispered before vanishing into the air, leaving nothing but a single red rose in the white of the still-falling snow.


End file.
